Antonio Guterres. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israel’s ambassador to the UN praised the recently announced appointment of the international body’s next secretary general.

Danny Danon said he hopes that under Antonio Guterres, “The UN will act in the spirit of its founding principles as a fair body able to differentiate between good and evil and will end its obsession with Israel…[and] this change in leadership will bring an end to the organization’s hostility toward the Jewish state.”

Guterres served as Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and as High Commissioner for Refugees at the UN from 2005 until last year. He will replace Ban Ki-moon in January 2017.

The UN Security Council will formally recommend Guterres to the General Assembly for a five-year term.